Lana Del Rey pulls out of Israeli festival after backlash

IANS

3 months ago

Lana Del Rey (Photo: Pinterest)

Singer Lana Del Rey has pulled out of a music festival in Israel next week in the wake of a backlash over her decision to perform.

The singer was supposed to be one of the headline performers at the Meteor festival, which will be held from September 6 to 8. It would have been her first time performing in the country, after cancelling a previous engagement in 2014.

The fest is being held at a Kibbutz in northern Israel that most Palestinians would not be permitted to attend.

In a tweet on Friday, Del Rey said she wanted to play for both Palestinian and Israeli fans, but it had not been possible to “line up both visits with such short notice”, reports theguardian.com.

She had therefore decided to postpone her appearance at the festival until it was possible to “schedule visits for both my Israeli and Palestinian fans, as well as hopefully other countries in the region”.

The decision marks an abrupt reversal from her stance early last week when the singer tweeted: “I believe music is universal and should be used to bring us together … Performing in Tel Aviv is not a political statement or a commitment to the politics there, just like singing here in California doesn’t mean my views are in alignment w[with] my current government’s opinions or sometimes inhuman actions.

“I’m doing my best to navigate the waters of the constant tumultuous hardships in the war-torn countries all over the world that I travel through monthly.”

Del Rey joins the likes of Lorde in deciding not to perform in Israel in protest over its government’s treatment of Palestinians and its military action in Palestine.